1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a xerographic copier and more specifically to a display panel which communicates to a copier user the status of the copier as well as prompting the user to interact with the copier.
2. Prior Art
As the art of xerographic copying has matured, the design of xerographic marking engines used in practicing xerography has also matured. Xerographic copiers are now capable of automatically making two-sided copies from two-sided originals and stacking a desired number of stapled copy sets in an output tray. Different copying options are available on the same basic xerographic marking engine so that while one copier may have a recirculating document handler for automatically moving original documents past a copier platen, another may only have a platen and platen cover requiring the user to individually insert and copy each original. The availability of different options allows the user to satisfy his copying needs with the most efficient expenditure of money.
Certain convenience features are available which make it easier for the user to interact with the copier. Automatic billing equipment, for example, automatically informs the user of what client the particular job being run on the copier is performed for and also how many copies that particular job entails. Other convenience features added to the xerographic copier allow the user to more efficiently and intelligently interact with the copier. Human Factors Engineering has made it easier for an uninitiated operator to learn how the copier operates and how to diagnose and correct faults when they occur in the copier operation. This training and/or copier diagnostics naturally becomes more complex as the copier sophistication increases. In addition, if the operator has familiarity with one type of copier and encounters a differently configured copier, he may be predisposed to a diagnostic procedure unsuited for the new machine.
Alphanumeric displays have been used to both prompt and alert the user of copier status and faults. Statements such as "Standby," "Please Wait," "Ready," "Insert Documents," and "Select Number of Copies," have been used to alert the user to the status and operation of the copier. Similar display units have generated alphanumeric error codes which refer the user to a flip chart giving instructions on how to correct various problems and/or faults encountered during copier operation.
Although not commercially exploited to the extent of alphanumeric displays, graphic displays have been suggested as ways to further educate the copier user regarding the status of the copier. These graphic displays or icons graphically illustrate a copier configuration and can involve the use of selectively energizable elements to cue the user as to what portion of the copier needs attention and/or maintenance. Thus, in a copier incorporating a recirculating document handler, a flashing icon of such a document handler positioned in relation to the rest of the copier may indicate to the user a jam in the paper circulating in the document handler. This type of cueing can be particularly effective when coupled with an alphanumeric message re-enforcing the user's perception that he has been educated as to the source of his problem.
As alluded to above, a user can require a copier to be configured depending upon his needs without changing the basic makeup of the xerographic marking engine. The Human Factors Engineer is accordingly faced with a problem of displaying status and/or fault information regarding a copier which may be configured in a number of different ways. This problem of copier interfacing is made more difficult if the copier is to be used in areas where different languages are spoken. Thus, the alphanumeric display suitable for an English language speaking country would be unsuitable in a land where only Spanish was spoken. Some locals (Quebec for example) require a copier which communicates in two languages since significant percentages of the people speak different languages. The engineer is then faced with the problem of either designing a separate display for each copier configuration and geographic location or trying to design a system generic enough to suit all possible copier configurations and languages.